“We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren, and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who cannot speak for themselves, such as the birds, animals, fish and trees" Chief Qwatsina of the Lakota tribe. The natives of the plains, a respectful people, took from the land what they needed and they always gave The colonists who arrived thought they were smarter and more advanced than the natives and considered the natives inferior. In reality it was the exact opposite. They were the colonists who had forgotten that the most basic way of life was the most intelligent way of life The settlers were clouded by their “vast knowledge” who convinced themselves that their way of life was the best and only way of life and that anything less was not acceptable but they were a strong people despite the relentless will to fight, they would ultimately lose. Living side by side was not a realistic option because the differences were too great and the treaties were broken along with the line of trust between the natives and the native government, making a diplomatic solution impossible. The only reason the government was able to drive the natives from their lands was to exterminate the bison. Native American conflict is said in textbooks to have begun with King Philips' War, but the conflict actually began when the first settlers had their first encounters with the natives, coming to a conclusion at the end of the Great Sioux War in 1877. tribes of the Great Plains (residents from Montana to Colorado and from North Dakota to Kansas) and, at some level, all native tribes had a very close connection to the part of the land that ensured their survival. They s...... middle of paper ...... 5 October 2012. Accessed 10 February 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eKft8CB6AM. This is a video with a Native American bias showing the relationship between Tecumseh and whites. I use this video to show how natives and whites would never be able to live side by side.Wildcat, Wayne. "The buffalo harvest". ICE case studies. Last modified December 18, 1997. Accessed January 8, 2014. http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/buffalo.htm. This site offers an overview of the relationship between Native people and the American government and people, with a Native bias. This website seems credible, but the other website says the same thing in more depth and is more credible. What I can learn from this site, however, is an excellent primary source: Buffalo Days: Forty Years in the Old West: The Personal Account of a Rancher, Indian Fighter, and Army Officer.